Those wonderful French!

There are 10 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 3,450 times. The latest Post () was by Rice.

1st Official Post

    Later this year I'll be visiting southern France for an autumn vacation (holiday, if you prefer). I hate going places where I can't competently ask where I can piss without getting arrested, so, in an attempt to prove that some neurons still may be connected, I'm taking French lessons. A lovely lady comes by a couple of times a week to try to pound some learnin' into a solid block - but! I'm at least going to learn enough to get skinned in small French shops in their own language!


    And this has what to do with music/videos? Well, when I was learning Spanish in another century I discovered that the most pleasant way to train one's ear is listening to music. I have defined musical tastes, so I immediately went to the past and sampled some French icons, starting with Charles Aznavour and Mireille Mathieu. God, they're good! I'm processing a 60-song album by her after a 40-song Aznavour collection.


    It's undecided whether I'll ever learn much French, but I'm guaranteed some excellent listening.

    Mr Larson wrote:

    It's undecided whether I'll ever learn much French, but I'm guaranteed some excellent listening.


    I intend to say:

    French is a very friendly language to English language people. Franch has many words which are the same in English, as "nuisance", "encore", and many ones. In fact, between Northern France and England there was an unextricable intertwined history during the Middle ages.

    Even in vernacular architecture is really similar the peasant building of Normandie and Southern England.

    Also, the sparing, austere, good administration virtues of both countries are shared. I never knew any British of Northern French person who lives beyond their possibilities.

    And, by the way, any British person knows that the two mottoes of the Shield or Escucheon of the Nation has two phrases in French: "Dieu et mon droit" and "Honi soit qui mal y pense"

    In shared words and cognates as in elements of their architecture and furniture, there may be strong bonds. But all similarity breaks down at the Vineyard and in the Bakery. In the bottle, baguette and brioche department, France reigns alone!


    We trust you are learning all the essential words first, Ed?